Care Home Abuse Victims To Receive Payout

The families of 19 vulnerable care home residents who were subjected to abuse by staff will receive compensation, it has been confirmed.

An investigation by BBC's Panorama programme two years ago revealed that a number of residents at the Winterbourne View private hospital near Bristol were poorly treated.

Six of the 11 employees who were charged with abuse and neglect following the report were sent to prison, while the company that ran the home - Castlebeck - entered administration earlier this year.

The Department of Health (DH) will make the payments, although the body has not admitted liability. Details relating to the compensation package are being kept under wraps.

It emerged that the patients - who suffered from learning difficulties - were sent to Winterbourne View for treatment by health authorities.

A spokesman for the DH said the "horrific scenes" captured by Panorama "shocked the whole country".

"While we do not accept legal liability in these cases it is right we have settled these claims," he commented.

"We have made sure action has been taken and former residents of Winterbourne View are now receiving safe, dignified care."

The DH representative added that NHS England and the Local Government Association are working hard to improve the standard of care for patients with learning disabilities.

According to the solicitor involved in the Winterbourne View compensation claim, the sums involved will not be life-changing, but the money will enable the families to try to balance out the poor treatment they received at the care centre.

Following the Panorama documentary, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) stated that it cannot guarantee that care home residents will not be abused, but the regulator is now in a far stronger position to carry out thorough checks.

The CQC confirmed shortly after the Winterbourne View case came to light that it had recruited hundreds of new inspectors, enabling it to visit care facilities more frequently.

Expert Opinion

The investigation by BBC’s Panorama uncovered some shocking truths about the treatment of the residents at this care home. In order to prevent situations like this in the future, lessons need to be learned to ensure that all facilities are suitable for residents and staff receive the necessary training and support they need to provide a high standard of care.

“We see so many cases in which vulnerable, elderly people have suffered as a result of care homes failing to meet recommended regulations. It is vital that people staying in homes of this kind, and their families, are spared the horrific problems seen in cases such as this.”